The present invention relates to clamping systems for reactor plates. More specifically, it relates to a three-part clamping system for a chemical reactor plate with multiple wells.
Multiple well reactor plates are commonly used for conducting and studying chemical reactions and experiments. Typically, these reactor plates are open on both the top and bottom surfaces to facilitate filing of the wells and removal of end products and unreacted constituents after the chemical reaction has been completed. Therefore, it is necessary to seal the top and bottom openings while the chemical reactions and other process steps take place.
Clamping or sealing systems have been developed to assist with the clamping and sealing of the top and bottom openings of the prior art reactor plates during chemical reactions and experiments. One such sealing system is manufactured by Robbins Scientific in Sunnyvale, Calif. The Robbins sealing system includes top and bottom sealing covers, each with a sealing gasket and six clamps. The Robbins sealing system also includes top and bottom clamping collars that are screwed together around a reactor plate with a threaded fastener, and that are capable of being clamped to the top and bottom sealing covers via the twelve clamps.
While the Robbins sealing system provides a seal for the top and bottom openings of the reactor plate, the Robbins sealing system is relatively expensive, inefficient, complex, and bulky. The multiple components of the Robbins sealing system make it expensive, and the threaded fastener and twelve clamps make it inefficient and complex to use. In addition, the threaded fastener and twelve clamps of the Robbins sealing system make it bulky and difficult to use with other clamping or sealing systems in a relatively small amount of space, such as an oven cavity.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a clamping system that provides a relatively inexpensive, efficient, simple, and minimally-sized clamping system for chemical reactor plates.
The present invention provides a clamping system comprising a cover plate and a bottom plate having a base and a plurality of sides defining a well for receiving a reactor plate. The clamping system also comprises a compression skirt positioned between the cover plate and the bottom plate. In addition, the clamping system comprises at least one upper latch assembly for clamping the cover plate to the compression skirt, and at least one lower latch assembly for clamping the compression skirt to the bottom plate.
The present invention further provides a clamping system comprising a cover plate with an underside having at least one step, and a bottom plate having a base connected to a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side. The bottom plate also has a well for receiving a reactor plate. The clamping system also comprises a compression skirt positioned between the cover plate and the bottom plate, with the compression skirt having a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side corresponding to the first, second, third, and fourth sides of the bottom plate, respectively. Additionally, the clamping system comprises a first and a second upper latch assembly for clamping the cover plate to the compression skirt, and a first and a second lower latch assembly for clamping the compression skirt to the bottom plate.
The present invention also provides, in combination with a reactor plate having a flange between an inlet section and an outlet section, a clamping system comprising a cover plate positioned adjacent the inlet section of the reactor plate, and a bottom plate having a base and a plurality of sides defining a well for receiving the outlet section and at least a portion of the flange of the reactor plate. The clamping system further comprises a compression skirt positioned between the cover plate and the bottom plate, with the compression skirt also being disposed on at least a portion of the flange and around the inlet section of the reactor plate. Moreover, the clamping system comprises at least one upper latch assembly for clamping the cover plate to the compression skirt, and at least one lower latch assembly for clamping the reactor plate between the compression skirt and the bottom plate.